24 Hours
by gwenwifar
Summary: after my alternate season 4 ending. What happens in the 24 hours following Chloe's deal with the devil.
1. Chapter 1

Chloe walked away from the balcony and took a deep breath. She should probably give Lucifer a little space right now. She had 24 hours, he could have a few minutes of that to deal with the mess she'd just made of his feelings.

She reached for her phone and arranged for Trixie to stay with Dan for the night. Then she texted Maze.

"Emergency meeting at noon tomorrow at the penthouse. Bring Linda and Amenadiel."

She didn't expect an answer anytime soon, and she didn't get one. In a few hours, she'd probably text Linda, just to make sure that the first she heard of this meeting wasn't Maze showing up at her office at 11:30 and dragging her off in the middle of a session. But Linda and Amenadiel deserved to enjoy the safe return of their baby without worrying about the next crisis. At least until morning.

He was still looking out into the city when Chloe went into the bathroom, washed her face and got into Detective mode. There was an answer somewhere. They just had to find it.

She was pouring them a drink when she heard the door to the balcony close.

"You read my mind, Detective."

He looked exactly like the stranger that had just waltzed past the crime scene tape so many times in the past. He wore his smile like a mask, and if she hadn't been on that balcony a few minutes ago, she would never have suspected there was a single thing on his mind more pressing than his next drink. She supposed she deserved that.

"Lucifer, I'm sorry." Chloe hesitated, then looked into his eyes and blurted out the rest.

"I needed some time and I couldn't think of another way. I won't do it again. You don't deserve it."

She gulped down her drink and reached for the notebook in her pocket.

"Ok, so let's start at the beginning. We need to break down this problem."

In full Detective mode now, Chloe headed for the coffee table.

"Do you have a bigger notebook, maybe? Some printer paper, something like that?"

While he looked, she paced nervously.

"So I'm thinking we can lay out everything we know about the problem, and then we can brainstorm some answers. Demons are just another perp, right? It's not the first time we've taken on a gang. We can work through some ideas tonight. I should tell you I texted Maze. She's bringing Linda and Amenadiel tomorrow."

Lucifer's head popped up from behind the bar,

"Detective, why are you bring them into this?" he sounded exasperated again.

"They should be part of this. They can help. They want to."

"You don't know that! Maze has her own life now," Lucifer countered "one she quite enjoys. And Linda and Amenadiel have baby Charlie - "

"And they all want to be here for you, Lucifer." Chloe interrupted.

He came back from behind the bar with a legal pad.

"This may not have occurred to you," Chloe continued, grabbing the pad, "but they love you too, in their own ways."

Lucifer dropped into the sofa, considering the idea for the first time. Maze didn't love him, surely. She was a demon, she had no soul to love with. He had made her to be his right hand and do whatever he wanted her to do. Except that she didn't, did she? Not anymore. She went off for months at a time, doing her own thing. She argued, and dated, and had real friends. She clearly cared deeply for Trixie -

"Lucifer!"

Chloe broke into his thoughts. She looked like she was waiting for an answer and he glanced down at the pad where she had written across the top in block letters: "Problem".

"Triple underline, Detective! Serious stuff. Yes, let's focus on the problem. After I get another drink."

She was already making a list, at the top of which was Charlie.

Lucifer watched her work as he poured. She had surprised him tonight. It took him a full 8 minutes to realize what that sucker punch meant. How hard she was fighting to give him a choice. Nobody had ever done that before. It took 12 minutes to understand how much she needed him to choose her.

He wanted to. He wanted to choose her more than he wanted his next breath. But love complicated things. It wasn't just about what he wanted anymore. He couldn't risk everything and everyone because he wanted to. If he could, he wouldn't be the devil she loved.

He walked back to the coffee table with his drink and looked over the papers she had spread out. There seemed to be a list of problems the demons could cause, a list of possible ways to keep the demons in Hell, and a rather short list of potential kings of Hell.

For the next 2 hours they took turns pacing around the table, adding to the lists, starting new ones, getting to the bottom of why the king must be an angel, and why Hell must have a king at all. They were sitting across from each other, leaning over the table, to read the same paper when they suddenly made eye contact and froze.

For a moment they both forgot they were being careful and longing rose between them like a tidal wave.

"Chloe…" Lucifer heard himself whisper.

Chloe looked away, shuffled papers.

He cleared his throat and looked for a way to save the moment.

"Are you hungry? I could fix us something to eat."

"That would be great, thanks."

She needed distance more than she needed food. She needed him more than she needed either, but she had used the feelings between them to get what she wanted once already and she would not do it again.

When he brought back grilled cheese sandwiches, she almost cried, remembering the last time he'd made them for her.

"Problem, detective? Is it not what you wanted?"

"It's fine." She acted casual, reached for half the grilled cheese, but didn't bite into it because she wasn't sure she could get the food past the lump in her throat.

"I can order something in, if you like. What do you want?"

Chloe took a deep breath, tried to say again that it was fine but the words couldn't get past the lump either. She kept her eyes on the papers and hoped he would just start talking to her about demons or something, but instead his voice softened and he asked again.

"What do you want?"

She couldn't help herself. She looked up and let him see it in her eyes.

"It doesn't matter what I want. I…" she took a deep breath. "I told you before I wouldn't use your feelings for me to get what I want again, and I meant it."

"To simply tell me what you want is not to force my hand, detective. You know that."

Chloe did know that. The words came rushing to her throat and she tried to slow them down but he spoke again.

"Tell me, Chloe."

"I want… I want to let the world burn if that means I get to keep you. I want to go back to the night when you first brought me a grilled cheese and stop myself from doing the stupidest thing I've ever done. I want to spend that night, and every night since then, in your arms where I belong. And more importantly, if we can't find a way and you do leave tomorrow…" she took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry. "If this is the only night I get to have, then I want to fall asleep tangled up with you in your bed, with the scent of us both in my lungs and I want to wake up early and watch you sleep before I wake you up with a kiss. I want everything you are when you are vulnerable, everything you've never given any of your lovers. And when it's all over I want you to know, to really know, in your heart and in your bones, that it meant _everything_."

She stood up and stepped away, chuckling awkwardly.

"I bet you thought I was going to say Chinese."

She felt his hand on her harm, gently turning her around to face him again.

"Chloe…" he whispered.

She tried to keep her tone light and cheerful.

"Enough about me, what…"

He lifted her face up to meet his eyes.

"What do you want? Lucifer?"

"Do you know that you ask me that more than anyone else ever has?" He wiped a tear she didn't know she was crying and answered her question.

"I want everything _you_ are, Chloe. I want to know what it is to surrender my body and my soul to the one person who can really hurt me, and to emerge unscathed in the morning. I want to be held so closely in your light that even the darkest pit of Hell will never be able to drown out the memory. I want to give you everything I have ever held back and I want you to know, if I never see you again, that you were the only one who ever mattered."


	2. Chapter 2

Chloe drifted awake to find herself held tightly against something soft and warm. Her arm reached drowsily down to touch Lucifer's arm, traced it gently down to the hand, cupped it in hers. She needed to move, but she didn't want to disturb his sleep. Slowly, she rolled onto her back and turned her head to watch him sleep. She had almost hoped that in sleep he'd look goofy, somehow. That his mouth would be open or there'd be drool on his pillow. But he looked as devilishly sexy as he always did. Just more at peace.

She watched him for another minute, then slowly slid out of bed and went to the bathroom. She hadn't slept much. Probably wasn't going to sleep much more any time soon. It was still dark, but she couldn't get back into bed without waking Lucifer up, and well…

She smiled to herself, completely unaware of how her smile had changed in the last few hours. She should text Linda now, on her way back to bed. Chloe reached for her phone.

"Emergency meeting at the penthouse at noon. I told Maze to bring you and Amenadiel. Sorry."

She dropped the phone on the coffee table where all the papers they'd been working on were still spread out and went back into the bedroom. He had shifted a little, his arm draped across his own body now. She sat on the edge of the bed and slowly worked her way closer. She'd never seen him so relaxed.

Ever so gently she brushed her fingertips across his cheek, sliding her hand around to the back of his neck, ready to pull him closer for a kiss. She was watching his lips, which might explain why she didn't see his eyes flicker open and instantly fill with the hottest fire he'd ever known. In one swift move he rolled into her, pushing her down and turning what should have barely been a brush of the lips into a 5-alarm blaze.

When he came up for air, they were both considerably more awake than they had been. She smiled her new smile and saw the delight that filled his eyes.

"Why, Chloe. I don't think I've ever seen you look quite so… naughty."

She brushed her tongue across her lips nervously. Slid her hands around to his back where the wing scars used to be. The skin felt smooth now, untouched.

"So… I was wondering." She tried to look coy but had to keep her eyes on the ceiling to pull it off.

"About your wings…"

"Yes? What were you wondering?"

"What kind of fine motor control do you get with those?" She bit her lip a little, and blushed. "Are they like extra arms? Just for flying? Can you control individual feathers?"

She felt him twitch a little and made herself look into his eyes. All else aside, she really wanted to know.

"I'm afraid I've only ever used them for flying and fighting, detective. Neither activity requires much finesse, really." He leaned closer, conspiratorially.

"But why don't we find out?" He kissed her again, and as she drove her fingers into his hair she heard his wings unfurl.

The next time Chloe woke up, she was alone in bed. She stretched, and was halfway out of bed when she smelled… pancakes?

Almost before the thought had fully formed, a tray materialized on her lap.

"Good morning." Lucifer sat on the bed next to her, and he'd brought a giant plate with far too many pancakes, as well as warm syrup and butter, a cup of coffee, and a glass of water.

"Good morning. And thank you. I wasn't expecting breakfast in bed. You know I can't eat all this, right?"

"Well, then, I am ready to assist, detective, as always. Just don't get any syrup on the silk sheets or I might have to punish you."

Chloe liked the sound of that entirely too much, but they had to get back to finding a way to keep Lucifer out of Hell, so they stuck to breakfast. No spills.

"Pity. Next time?" Lucifer inquired politely, as he carried the empty tray back to the kitchen.

"Count on it."


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Chloe came back to the coffee table, all the papers were laid out, and Lucifer had made a few additions to the lists. Chloe reviewed them carefully, then grabbed the legal pad.

"Ok, I'm assuming that there's a lot I don't know that happened with you and Amenadiel before I finally saw the truth. Tell me everything you can think of. There may be a clue there we can use."

They were 2 pages into the note taking when Lucifer told her about Amenadiel granting her mother the miracle of giving birth to Chloe. They were 3 pages in when he spoke of how falling in love with her had made Pierce mortal. Chloe underlined that quite a few times. And she stopped writing, which prompted Lucifer to stop talking. She was frowning, and she got up to pace, getting more and more frowny as she paced.

"Problem, detective?"

"Lucifer…" She stopped to face him, but then started pacing again before she continued.

"So my birth was a miracle. A miracle that led to Cain finally dying because he loved me, however selfishly and briefly. And you…" she hesitated, as if she was looking for the right words. "I make you vulnerable. Maybe that's because you love me too. But Pierce was mortal even if I wasn't around him, and with you it only works if I'm near you… "

She kept pacing, mumbling to herself.

"Pierce was always human, though, so probably not really relevant. But Amenadiel... he lost his wings and powers for a while because of how he saw himself. The same thing happened to you with you face and the wings."

All the pacing was making him dizzy, but she was clearly trying to work something out so he kept quiet and kept watching.

"What if… what if that's because of the way things were between us? What if we work everything out and we are together, in the relationship sense? What if you start seeing yourself mostly as my partner, in the full sense of the word? Would that make you vulnerable when you're not with me?"

And then she stopped to face him. "What if instead of vulnerable I make you mortal? Human? You could lose your wings, your mojo… for being with me?"

He was thrown back by the way the thought seemed to scare her.

"Would it bother you if I did? Would you love me less? You struggled to accept the devil side, which is understandable, I suppose. But why does Lucifer the human scare you, detective?"

He held her gaze, trying not to jump to conclusions.

"It's not that. Of course it's not that. Lucifer the human is who I fell in love with. Sure, you had mojo, but it never worked on me anyway, and people grow and change all the time. But what if… what if you start getting old and sick, or you get caught doing something illegal and can't use your mojo to get out of trouble? What if you're in a hospital or a jail cell someday, wishing…" her voice trailed off and he tried to finish her sentence.

"That I didn't love you? That I had made a different choice?"

"You walked away before when you found out about Amenadiel and my mom, I… didn't really know why then, but I get it now. It's a big, life changing choice, being with someone, and you had to make it freely. And this one is too. You shouldn't have to sacrifice a big part of who you are to be with me. It's not fair to ask you to make that choice."

He smiled to himself, quietly.

"Chloe… " He paused, surprised at how easily the words came to his lips, and at how clearly he could see this now.

"This is a choice I've made freely a hundred times. Every day I went to work to help you catch a killer I chose to be as vulnerable as any human to be with you. I chose to be there even when you told me not to. I'm not going to choose any differently now that you love me back. Now when I'm not going to just work with you, but I get _all of you_ in the bargain."

He smiled his devilish smile.

"Besides, if the consequence of loving and choosing you is to grow old and feeble with you, detective, all I can say is don't threaten me with a good time."

She walked up to him, and he pulled her into his lap and kissed her as tenderly as he could manage. They must have been lost in the kiss because they didn't hear the ding of the elevator or anything else, really, until they heard Maze's groan and Amenadiel asked:

"I thought you said there was an emergency?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Thanks for coming, everybody, but the detective already solved it."

"I did?" Chloe's tone did not inspire confidence in the others that they weren't needed, so they didn't move.

"It seems that you make me mortal. If I'm mortal, I don't have wings and can't rule Hell, and dad will have to find someone else. Problem solved."

"Yes, well. It's not that easy. We're not even sure if that's true."

Chloe tried to get up, but Lucifer's hands on her hips kept her on his lap, securely. She turned to face the others, trying not to feel awkward about sitting on his lap. In all honesty, she didn't want to move and lose contact with his body. She just hadn't envisioned this discussion happening quite in this way. She blushed and motioned for everyone to sit down.

Quickly, she explained that Lucifer had been on the verge of going back to hell permanently, to keep the demons under control. She explained what all the papers were about, outlined what they'd been discussing.

They started another list. Potential solutions they were pursuing. Chloe hesitated, shifted to look Lucifer in the eye.

"Are you sure?"

He gave her his most dazzling smile.

"Completely."

She took a deep breath and wrote at the top "make Lucifer mortal".

"Let's talk about this list."

Everyone turned to look at Amenadiel, who was holding the list of potential problems the demons could cause.

"Some of these things… they're not your responsibility, Luci."

Amenadiel sat across from Lucifer, and Chloe shifted onto the sofa to allow them more space.

"Look at Charlie." He continued, pointing at the list. "Sure, the demons could possibly come back for him. But so could a hundred other things, Luci. He could get sick, he could have an accident… he could be killed by some random guy in the middle of a bank robbery, who knows? I don't even know all the things that could be dangerous to a half angel baby in the human world. But I know that protecting him means being here for him. And I know that he needs more from me – from all of us, than just protection."

He started getting agitated as he talked, and found he needed to move.

"You know why I didn't take Charlie to the Silver City? He'd be safe there. But he wouldn't have Linda. He wouldn't have all the things that come with being in the presence of those who love you, or feeling their love on your skin, seeing it with your eyes, and holding it to you when life hurts. He needs that as much as he needs safety. Maybe even more. And so do we, Luci. All of us. You. Me. Linda. Chloe."

He crossed Charlie out of that list decisively.

"What you do is your decision to make, Lucifer. But Charlie has more to lose than to gain if you leave. He needs you to be here."

He grabbed another paper and started another list.

"Looks like you guys spent a lot of time thinking about how your return to hell might protect us. But there is something else to think about. How will your return to hell weaken us? What do we lose when we lose you?"

Chloe grabbed the pen as quickly as Amenadiel dropped it.

"Same goes for me." She added.

"You've had my back for years. I need you here too. And I need you here to love me, and to accept my love in return. Sure, there is risk for me here, I could get hurt. But it's worth it. It's a risk I'm willing to take."

Lucifer found this turn in the conversation downright alarming. He didn't want this decision to be complicated. He wanted to think they'd be better off if he was in hell keeping the demons at bay.

"Now, hang on, detective. What about…"

But she wouldn't have it.

"It's no different than going to work with me when you know you could die, Lucifer. You chose it freely, you said, 100 times. You'd choose it again. You are willing to embrace mortality to be with me. Well, I'm willing to fight every damned demon in hell to be with you. You can't deny me the same choice. I know the risks. I choose to take them. It's my choice to make."

She'd already scratched herself off one list and added herself onto the new one. If he was honest, there wasn't much in the original list that he truly cared about – not enough to justify the losses these people he cared about were facing anyway. But he felt just as compelled to leave as he did last night standing on his balcony.

Was this one of those dramatic gestures he was always making? Was he going to say goodbye and hurt everyone only to find out in a few days that he'd overreacted and broken their hearts when he didn't have to?

He had stopped paying attention for a few minutes, lost in his thoughts. Michael's name brought him out of it.

It seemed they were discussing finding someone to manage Hell for him for a few decades. It wasn't a horrible idea. He could live with the idea of being confined in Hell much more easily if every second of the foreseeable future wasn't full of longing for something he could have if he didn't have to be there. If one of his siblings would take over Hell for the remainder of Chloe's lifetime in return for his permanent return to hell after… well, that was a deal he would take in a heartbeat. Once she was dead she'd be lost to him no matter where he was, so he might as well be in Hell. At least there he might run into her in somebody's loop. And he'd have decades of memories to take with him.

Michael would never do it, though. There was no love lost between them when he'd fallen. Some of his other siblings, maybe. Certainly not Michael.

Amenadiel was writing on the list of potential solutions "find a sub to run Hell", saying he'd go to the Silver City, he'd get somebody to agree. It might take a while.

Lucifer kept watching, only half listening. Maze was up now, talking about Hell and who could be trusted to obey Lucifer in his absence, who might betray him even under his nose. He should be more involved in this discussion, no doubt. It was, after all, primarily about him. But he felt high, and not like after his usual cocaine regimen. Drugs had never made him feel like this… These people, or more accurately this assortment of people, angel and demon, were here in his penthouse, looking for a way to keep him in their lives. Since he'd been throw out of Heaven, he'd never felt so… wanted. If he was honest, he hadn't felt wanted long before he was kicked out. Not really, not the way he was. Not in all his strong willed, tempting glory.

They knew who he was. They wanted him in their lives. It was nothing short of mind blowing.

And terrifying, somehow. Especially when they were all looking at him expectantly.

"Well? What do you think?"


	5. Chapter 5

Lucifer took a deep breath and reviewed the list of solutions.

"I think we have some great long-term solutions here, but they don't address the immediate problem of avoiding new demon attacks while we work on them." He ran his fingers through his hair and loosened his collar.

"I don't think there's any way to do that without my return to Hell. At least for a time. But we can't know how much time until I can assess the situation there."

They looked at each other with mixed feelings. He could pick out relief that the discussion had turned to a temporary return rather than a permanent one, some annoyance here, and some frustration there, but what surprised him was a bit of exasperation from Dr. Linda. He didn't understand that at all, and he focused on it.

"Doctor?" he inquired. "You seem to have something to say."

"Maybe I do, but it would probably be best if we speak privately."

She had chosen her words carefully, but her tone gave her away. She was irritated. Almost angry at him. She had things to say he wasn't going to want to hear.

Fascinating, he caught himself thinking. She often had things to say he didn't like, and when she said them it tended to lead first to some crazy misunderstanding and then to some real insight. This was too important, though. He would not allow himself the opportunity to grab on to the wrong words, decide he'd figured it out and impulsively walk out to do the wrong thing. The insight would come later, likely while he sat in hell having broken hearts that didn't deserve or need the abuse. It'd be too late then. He couldn't risk that. Whatever she had to say, he wanted her to have backup. Not just backup, but backup that could keep him from doing something stupid. He needed to get this right the first time.

"Not at all. You know me, I'm not shy." He gave her his best naughty grin and when that didn't work he stood up instead.

"What you have to say is on topic and will likely affect the outcome of this whole process. This is a team effort. Speak freely, doctor. They deserve to know, whatever it is."

"I might need to mention things you've told me in confidence. In therapy."

"Understood." He nodded, getting increasingly uncomfortable.

He looked at them and instinctively he sat down, across from Linda and they closed around him, Chloe sitting to his right, Amenadiel to his left, and Maze standing behind him.

He saw her measuring her words, looking for the way to walk him to the realization she wanted him to have.

"Doctor, time is of the essence, and therapy must have shown you by now that when you try to walk me to some sort of epiphany, I get the wrong idea as often as I get the right one. Just say it."

"I want to consider why you feel so compelled to go back to Hell right now." She paused, trying to organize her thoughts. "I don't mean these reasons," she continued, holding up the list. "Everyone in this room knows this isn't enough. They're valid reasons, and I don't deny you believe them to be strong reasons. I'm not saying you're lying to us, just that there may be another reason you're not telling us about. Maybe even another reason you're not aware of."

Lucifer shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Go on, doctor."

"Lucifer, you don't want to go back to Hell. We know that. It's not just a preference for you, though. It's visceral. You really don't want to go. Enough to amputate your own wings a number of times. To even consider going back is nothing short of self-sacrifice. Especially now that you know."

"Know?"

"That the way you feel about yourself shapes your reality. That the choices you make and things you do have the power to change you. Going back to Hell, even temporarily, and doing what you need to do to get things under control will likely do things to you. Undo the work you've been doing to become the man you are today, the man you have chosen to become, at great cost to you."

"Well, I don't have much choice, Doctor! The demons could come back and - "

Chloe's hand on his leg stopped him. He held up his hands and allowed Linda to continue.

"Yes, but that's not it. That's your mind finding what it considers to be logical explanations for how you feel. These threats are not new, Lucifer. When your mother was threatening to explode out of Charlotte's body people were threatened. Did you even really consider taking her back to Hell? When Uriel threatened Chloe did you consider it? No, Lucifer. You found another way. It's what you do. So what's new? What's changed?"

She started pacing, now, on less solid ground.

"This was bigger, sure. A demon invasion of sorts. They need a king. But why can't you rule from LA most of the time? Commute, as it were? Why can't you make another deal with your father? There's a loophole somewhere, and you're not looking for it. It's not the threat at all. It's you. It's personal. Something has changed in you."

She sat down again, looking at him as if she wanted to see into his soul.

"Or…" she hesitated, then continued.

"Or something has changed in your life. When we came in you were…. Involved."

Chloe and Lucifer glanced at each other like naughty children sharing a secret.

"How did that happen?"

"She's not afraid of me anymore." Lucifer answered without hesitation. "She even saw me deal with the demons in my devil form and she didn't flinch or look away. And then later on the balcony…"

He cleared his throat and glanced away, not sure how to continue.

Chloe squeezed his hand and matter-of-factly supplied the words he was struggling with.

"We finally told each other how we feel. Saw the truth of it in each other's eyes."

"Ah." Linda nodded as if she was on firm ground again, as if this explained everything.

"Lucifer, you can protect Chloe (and Charlie and everyone else) from right here. The only thing you can't protect her from by staying in LA" she hesitated, wanting him to arrive there on his own.

"is yourself, Lucifer. You're trying to protect her from yourself."


	6. Chapter 6

"That's absurd, doctor!"

That was the knee-jerk reaction she expected, of course. But Linda knew he was still listening and that he would continue to listen, even if it was just to prove her wrong.

"Think about it, Lucifer. How long has it been since you called me in a panic, sure you were turning into a monster? How many times have you said or felt that you are a monster?"

"But you're forgetting, I've forgiven myself. I told you!"

"Yes, you did. Let's talk about that. How did that happen?"

"It was shortly after the night I called you. We were trying to get Father Kinley to help stop the prophecy when we found out he'd escaped and I had lost control of my appearance. My devil wings wouldn't go back and my whole body was like my devil face."

Chloe suddenly interrupted.

"You said you hate yourself because you ruin everything you touch. You said you hate that you're poison for everyone who dares to love you. Especially me."

Lucifer released an exasperated sigh.

"Yes, but then I forgave myself and returned to my devilishly handsome form. Problem solved!"

"It's not that easy, Lucifer." Linda continued. "You can go from thinking yourself evil and toxic to just forgiving yourself in the space of a few minutes. You had a breakthrough, and that's wonderful. But you've had enough of those to know that they're not that simple."

She stopped to gather her thoughts.

"Before what happened with Pierce… you made a lot of progress. You even tried to show Chloe your devil face once and it didn't work. And then things changed again."

"Yes, but Chloe's not afraid anymore, and I've come to terms with killing Pierce."

"Yes," Linda countered. "But that doesn't mean you might not still be dealing with feeling that being with you might be dangerous to Chloe. And if she's not afraid of you anymore, then she won't be on her guard against you."

Lucifer swallowed hard and looked down as his inexplicably clenched hands, unable to find a witty retort.

Chloe's hand came into his view and inserted itself between his.

"I'm not afraid of you, Lucifer. I know I'll be safe with you. I know you won't hurt me."

Linda hesitated, but continued.

"But he will, sometimes. And you'll hurt him, sometimes. When you love someone and share your life with them, it's bound to happen. Love is great, and so worth it, but it's hard work as much as it's romantic evenings under the stars. And commitment - "

Lucifer cut in, his voice radiating frustration and disgust.

"I'm the devil, doctor. What do I know about love and commitment? I know it didn't stop my father from sending me to hell or my mother from breaking my heart to manipulate me. And I… I fake married someone I didn't love to push away the one I did. And even when I tried, with Eve, within days I was trying to get her to break up with me."

"But you didn't love Candy or Eve. You are fond of them, but you don't love them." Linda parried, then shifted in her seat and backed up. Maybe abandonment and betrayal are what you have learned to expect from love and commitment."

"Seriously?" Maze interrupted. "The King of Hell is afraid of commitment?"

"No, Maze, not exactly. Not the way you think. When have you seen Lucifer fear for himself?"

Maze tilted her head to acknowledge the point.

"Lucifer charges into danger with that defiant smile and dares it to do its worst. He is positively reckless with his own safety. He jumps in with both feet and is fascinated and thrilled by the ride. No, Lucifer isn't afraid of getting hurt. He's afraid of being reckless with Chloe. Of hurting her in the process. It's danger to Chloe he has never been able to tolerate. The only thing that's always been more important to Lucifer than his next thrill is Chloe."

She turned to Lucifer now, setting aside the doctor to speak to him as his friend.

"Lucifer, you may not have had an example to look up to. You may have seen only what love looks like when it's not good enough, when it's selfish and toxic. But that's not who you are. Most of the time, you are self-indulgent to the point of narcissism. Yet you have sat across from me in my office and told me that what you want isn't important where Chloe is concerned. You told Chloe she deserved someone better than you, that you weren't worthy of her love. You tucked her safely into bed when she came to the penthouse drunk and made a move on you, even though you had been trying to get into her pants for ages. You married Candy because you thought Chloe had been manipulated into loving the devil and you wanted to set her free. Your love has always been selfless. And it's been obvious to all of us since Malcolm."

Maze gave a disgusted snort and Amenadiel nodded thoughtfully.

"But it's not just your love for Chloe. Lucifer, look around. Everyone in this room has betrayed your trust in one way or another. Most of us to the point of conspiring to kill you so you'd go back to Hell. And yet, you charged in to save our baby, Lucifer. You are ready to go back to the last place you want to be for our safety. You didn't even really withdraw your trust. You were angry, Lucifer. You felt betrayed. But you didn't hurt us in return. No one here has anything to fear from you. Especially not Chloe."

"She almost got killed because Pierce needed her there to kill me." He offered. As reasons to fear went, he thought it was a good one. "And now demons may come after her because they know I love her."

"And you'll protect her from the demons just as you did yesterday. Just as you protected her from Pierce, and every other threat she's faced since you started working together. Does she know what you've done to protect her in that time? Does she know you made a deal with your dad, offered to be sent back to hell, to save her life? That you killed your brother? That you killed yourself?"

"You did what?" Chloe interrupted.

"Just for a minute," Lucifer explained. "I just needed to get the formula for the antidote from the professor and I didn't have my wings at the time, so the only way to go down to Hell to get it was to die."

"You almost got stuck down there." Maze chimed in.

"Why didn't you tell me this? What else don't I know?"

Lucifer sat up straighter, bracing himself to deal with the consequences, still unwilling to say more than he had to.

"Do you know how you survived the ambush?" Linda asked.

"I know I got shot. I had a bullet proof vest, so I wasn't injured, just knocked back and out for a moment. When I came to, I was on the helipad, with Lucifer. And then Lucifer was gone, and I heard more shots. There were…"

She paused, thinking back.

"There were two men with handguns and at least 3 with assault rifles. I didn't get a very good look, but probably 30 round mags? How did we get out?"

"I flew us out the window."

"Lucifer - " Linda's tone rang loud warning bells, and sheepishly he continued.

"After they ran out of bullets."

"After they… Lucifer, that's like 100 bullets, minimum. How are we not dead?"

"I sheltered us with my wings."

"You took 100 bullets to your wings while you were vulnerable? And then picked me up and flew me out of there to safety?"

Lucifer nodded.

"And I - "

She ran her fingers through her hair and finished her sentence, shame dripping from her voice.

"And I saw an ugly face and ran away and plotted to kill you."

The silence was thick enough to cut with a knife until the chirp of her phone got her attention. She walked out into the balcony to take the call.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Linda pressed. "You told her all about the dark side. Why not this? What are you afraid of? Do you think she'll run away from your love as she ran from your face?"

"I…"

But before Lucifer could say anything, Chloe came back into the room, grabbed her coat and headed for the elevator.

"I have to go."

Lucifer looked at Linda in stunned silence for a moment. Then with a sardonic smile he leaned back against the back of the sofa.

"You were saying, doctor?"

"Dammit, Decker!"


	7. Chapter 7

They would have to tell Ella. She scrambled for another way as she rushed to her car, but it was no good.

Ella's text arrived, but she didn't look at it. She didn't need to. She knew where she was going. There couldn't be two crime scenes involving some 50 odd people just dropping dead where they stood. She should have thought about it yesterday, called it in. Thought of how they could explain what had happened. Now she had to figure out how to explain why she had emptied her service weapon into one of the vics yesterday. And that was before Ella discovered other evidence that she and Lucifer had been on the scene.

She got to the Mayan in record time, made all the appropriate noises and pretended to hear Ella tell her how weird it was they these victims seemed to have died somewhere else and yet they also seemed to have walked themselves there and dropped to the ground. She walked around to where Kinley's body was, using his presence on the scene to claim the lead on this case. It was, after all, likely related to a case she and Lucifer had solved together.

"Let's get the vics IDed and figure out the time and cause of death."

She hoped that had been the appropriate thing to say but judging by the looks she was getting she really needed to stop freaking out and pay more attention to what was going on around her right now. There were unis everywhere, and at least two other detectives besides her and Dan. There were more people than she'd ever seen at a crime scene.

"Should there be this many people here?" She asked Ella. "I know there's a lot going on and a lot of evidence to gather, but with this many people someone is bound to blunder and contaminate something."

Ella looked up, about to make a joke about keeping Lucifer busy when she noticed that Lucifer was not with her.

"Where's Lucifer?" She looked around, sure that he was here somewhere, likely touching something he shouldn't.

"He's not here."

"Hang on, let me send some of the unis back. You're right, there are too many people here."

It was another hour before she was able to get Ella away from the scene. They had to get to Lux before Lucifer left, if he left. Ella needed to see the truth to believe it, and they needed Ella to believe it if they were going to find a way out of this mess. She almost dragged Ella to her own car, headed to the precinct to allow Ella to secure her evidence bag. While Ella was doing that, Chloe dug up the file from the Pierce incident, dug through the crime scene photos until she found the one she was looking for. So many feathers. So much blood.

"Ready," came Ella's voice from the lab. "Where did you say we were going?"

"Ella, look at this." Chloe showed her the picture.

"I know the feathers were a dead end. But hypothetically, if these feathers were from, say a very large bird."

"That would have to be a very large bird Chloe. Larger than anything known to science right now."

"Yes, but let's say that they are from some large hypothetical bird's wings and all the red stuff is the bird's blood. How bad is the damage?"

"Hard to say. I mean, it lost a lot of blood and a lot of feathers. It might have made it, depending on where it was bleeding, and depending on the condition of the flight feathers it might or might not be able to fly. But either way, it would be in a lot of pain. Even if it could technically still fly, it probably wouldn't try. Might even bleed out from the effort."

Ella looked up. "Does this have any connection to our case?"

Chloe dropped the file and called to Ella.

"Come on, we have to hurry. I'll explain on the way."

Now that it was time to actually use her voice, Chloe was all but speechless. How could she explain this in a way that made sense to someone who didn't yet know the truth about Lucifer?

"I'm going to tell you a story, and I'm going to need you to just believe me for a little while. It's going to sound crazy, but I promise you, I can prove it."

Ella nodded quietly, listening.

"I know what happened at the Mayan. I was there. But it's… complicated."

Chloe sighed. Maybe leave some of the details for later.

"Remember Father Kinley? That priest that was involved in 2 murders and escaped? He kidnapped Linda's baby and tried to use it for a ceremony."

She supposed that was technically true.

"He what?" Ella piped up after a moment of shocked silence.

"He took Charlie to the Mayan for a ritual, trying to raise some demons or something. You remember how he was obsessed with that prophecy about the devil. Anyway, it got really messy, especially when all those people showed up. Lucifer, Amenadiel, Maze and I were there, getting Charlie back. A lot happened that I'll tell you about later but what you need to know is that we could be in trouble."

Ella was speechless this time, waiting for the rest.

"It happened yesterday. I didn't call it in or ask for backup or anything. There wasn't time and it was too dangerous. I should have called in after we got Charlie out at least but I didn't even think about it, I just wanted to get him back to Linda and…"

"I don't know if there is evidence putting anyone else at the scene but I know you'll find that one of the vics has bullets in her from my service weapon, so there's definitely evidence placing me at the scene."

They were approaching Lux now, and Chloe had one more thing to say.

"We're here because you need to see something, Ella. Everything will make more sense when you do."

Troubled by the fact that her bubbly friend was still not talking, Chloe said one more thing on her way into the garage.

"He's not a method actor, Ella. He really is the devil. I promise he's still your friend, and he's not going to hurt you or anyone. But he really is the real Lucifer."

They heard it as they were coming out of the elevator. He was at the piano, lost in the music.

_You saw her bathing on the roof_

_Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya_

_She tied you to a kitchen chair_

_She broke your throne, she cut your hair_

_And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah_

They stepped out of the elevator as quietly as they could, not wanting to disturb the perfection of the moment just yet. By the look on Ella's face there was more here than met the eye, but that was a conversation for later.

_Baby I've been here before_

_I know this room, I've walked this floor_

_I used to live alone before I knew ya_

_I've seen your flag on the marble arch_

_Love is not a victory march_

_It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Maybe there's a God above_

_But all I ever learned from love_

_Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew ya_

_It's not a cry you can hear at night_

_It's not somebody who's seen the light_

_It's a cold and it's a lonely Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Halle - _

Somehow a muffed sound like a sob had escaped Ella and alerted Lucifer to their arrival. He stopped singing, but let his fingers play a few more chords before he stood up, giving Chloe a puzzled look.

"You're back, Detective! I wasn't sure if I should expect you. Ms Lopez, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

He was all casual charm, as if they hadn't walked in to hear him expose his grief in a way she didn't fully understand yet but had brought tears to Ella's eyes.

"I'm sorry I had to rush out. It was work."

"Very important, I'm sure." He quipped, not hiding the sarcasm in his voice as successfully as he had intended to.

"Yes. I was called to a crime scene. At the Mayan."

Lucifer turned around at that, and nodded understanding.

"I see, Detective." But his eyes were still asking her why she'd brought Ella to chaperone the few hours they had left.

"Lucifer, we're going to need Ella's help. There is evidence placing us at the scene. At least me. I shot one of the demons. Ella needs to know the truth or it could be really bad for us."

He retrieved his glass from the top of the piano and refilled it as he considered what this could mean to all the people he cared about.

"I told her some of it on the way here. Enough, I think, to help move things along. But she needs proof."

"I see." He said again.

He chugged his drink, and then set down the glass.

"Ms Lopez, I'm about to show you something that is… well, disturbing, I suppose. I need you to know that I am still the person I have always been and you'll always be safe in my presence."

He stepped towards the window, where he'd have more room, and summoned his wings. Back-lit as they were, they glowed with such perfection that even Chloe, who'd seen them before, couldn't help the gasp of delight that slipped from her lips.

Something clicked in Ella's face, remembering all the feathers in that picture, and her expression changed again, adjusting.

"There's one more thing you need to see. Please don't be scared."

He changed into his devil form, bracing himself, reminding himself that she would recover, that there would be horror in her eyes, but not forever. That she had told him, years ago, that the devil was unfairly judged. He looked, and he saw exactly what he expected. Or rather, he saw horror. But not fear.

He spoke quietly, wanting his voice to remind her that he was still himself under all the redness and scarring.

"You have nothing to fear, Ms. Lopez."

And then she did the most Ella thing she could have done. She ran to him and hugged him.

He gasped, tears in his eyes at the unexpected warmth, and misunderstanding him she dropped her arms and stepped back.

"Does it hurt?"

"Not anymore." He answered. And she hugged him again, tighter this time.

She felt him change back and stepped away. She seemed distraught, not sure where to look or what to do. Then she reached up, took the crucifix off her neck and dropped it on the counter, next to his empty glass.

Looking crestfallen, Lucifer went to her, offering the crucifix back into her hand.

"I'm afraid I'm confused. I don't understand how proof of my divinity seems to be troubling you into questioning your faith. Surely now, more than ever, you know dad is real, and Heaven is waiting for you."

Ella looked into his eyes, determination seeping from her pores.

"Faith is about more than whether or not god or Heaven are real. It's about what Heaven and god mean, what they stand for. It's about respecting and honoring and trusting that in the end it will all make sense and it all worked out for the best."

She took the chain from him and dropped it on the floor this time.

"There is no honor in what he did to you," she spoke with conviction, holding his gaze "and I cannot respect any being who would, for any reason, do this to his son."


	8. Chapter 8

Ella was uncharacteristically somber as they filled her in on the details of what had happened at the Mayan and what followed.

"So, are you going back?" she wanted to know.

Chloe held her breath, willing the answer to be no.

"I'm going back." He said. "But not permanently. There's a plan, of sorts."

"Lucifer - " Chloe didn't know what she could say that hadn't been said already.

"Remember what you said to me on the balcony before? About how I needed to stop taking responsibility for things I can't control?"

Chloe nodded, not sure where he was going with this.

"I can't control dad, or your feelings about who I am and how I feel and what I've freely chosen to do. I can't control accidents, or any of the murderers you might encounter in your daily work. But I can control the demons. And so I'm going to do that until another solution can be found."

She lowered her eyes, feeling them well up as he went on.

"I'll be back, I promise. Right now it's been weeks in Hell time since I sent them back and the demons are bound to be getting restless again. I need to go establish that I'm still the King and they still need to follow my rules. Amenadiel is going to Heaven while I'm away, to see if any of my siblings will agree to rule Heaven for the next 50 years or so. I'm going to find someone down there that can be my second in command, in the event that none of them will. It would take some time, but I should be able to leave someone in charge and commute, as it were. As long as I go back often enough to keep an eye on things. Maze will stay with you, to protect everybody from any stray demon that might escape while I'm re-establishing order. One way or another, I'll be back."

He gently lifted her face up, meeting her eyes.

"You have a job too, Detective." He said to her.

She straightened up, ready to do whatever it took.

"There are still things you don't know, and I don't have the time to tell you, right now. I have told the others they are to answer any questions you have. Linda has been given permission to answer any question, even if it concerns things I told her in therapy."

He paused, choosing his words carefully.

"Hell is going to do things to me, Chloe. It's just going to be a few weeks here but in Hell time it will be years. I will fight it. With everything in me I will fight to come back as close to the man I am now as I can. But - " he sighed. "I'm going to need you to remember who I am under the scars. I'm going to need you to help me find myself again. To trust me more than I trust myself."

He averted his eyes.

"Of course, if you don't want to, I'll respect that."

"What can I do, Lucifer?" Ella wanted to know.

"Help Chloe. She is going to need a good friend, and you're the very best."

He hugged her briefly and continued "Thank you for your kindness."

He walked to the bar to get himself a drink, stroked the piano on his way.

"Two more things." He continued, in his down to business voice.

"The penthouse is at your disposal, as is everything in it. I left a note with the combination to the safe and the key to lock the lift so you can have privacy. I know you'll say that you don't need it, but if – if I'm away longer than I anticipate, or if this Mayan situation costs you your job, or you need a lawyer, or you get hurt… I want to know I can help keep you safe, even if I'm not here. Please use it. For Trixie, if not for yourself."

He looked at Ella significantly, and she nodded.

"If you find yourself in danger while I'm away, or feel that you have something you need to say to me -" he paused, his brain helpfully providing examples like _I've changed my mind, I don't want you to come back, you evil freak_. He gulped the thoughts away and continued. "You can pray to me. I won't be able to answer you, but I'll hear. If there's an emergency, Amenadiel can probably get to you faster than I can, but I'll come if you need me."

The silence fell between them then, and Ella stepped up.

"When you're back I'm gonna want to hear all about it." She squeezed his arm and let herself out.

Lucifer retreated into the kitchen, his tone artificially casual as he droned on about eating a proper meal before his exit. He cooked them something Chloe couldn't name or even taste as they ate together, watching the sun set over L.A., their conversation too normal, but not enough to distract either of them from the pain deep in the other's eyes.

They moved to the balcony after dinner, held each other tenderly, carefully, afraid of clinging and never letting go. After a moment, he rested his forehead against hers, breathing her in. She heard his wings unfurl as his thumb traced the curve of her lips.

He wanted to just toss out a "See you soon, Detective," pretend this wasn't a big deal. But he saw the tears clinging to her eyes through the ones in his own and all he could choke out was "I love you."

He couldn't make him himself say goodbye.

And then in a flutter of wings he was gone.


End file.
